Lots to Like in 2012 Côtes du Rhône

Southern Rhone wines are largely responsible for kicking off my fascination with fine vino. Years later, I love reading up and tasting around to see what's going on as the new vintage arrives in bottle.

Of course, Châteauneuf-du-Pape leads the pack, but Côtes du Rhône (and its sub-appellations) offer up inexpensive wines with a similar approach. 

This region in Southern France has been on quite a run of solid vintages lately. The wines have been consistently good with enough vintage variation to keep things interesting. In this sun-soaked region, climate change has already been causing problems for winegrowers. And I worry about how these Grenache-dominated wines will fare as scorching summers get even worse.

But in the meantime, with a sunny yet steady vintage like 2012, consumers have a lot to like. 

I recently tasted through a bunch of 2012 Côtes du Rhône reds at Weygandt Wines in DC, a long-time importer of many impressive Southern Rhone wines. Overall, the wines were quite delicious, showing moderate acid, solid concentration and firm tannic structure. The fruit is plenty ripe but the earthy and herbal qualities abound. 

Many of the wines were quite approachable at this young age, but all the best deserve at least three years in the cellar and could improve for longer.

2012 Domaine de la Grande Bellane Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas ($20)
Bright and spicy on the nose, with strawberries and pepper. Approachable and bright palate with strawberries and currants, accented by dusty soil and pepper. (86 points)

2012 Domaine Grand Nicolet Côtes du Rhône - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône ($15)
Deep nose of plums and soil. Palate shows blue and red berry fruit, along with pepper and loam. Pretty and plush and approachable. (87 points)

2012 Domaine Charvin Côtes du Rhône Le Poutet - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône ($22)
Lovely and elegant nose of cherries, strawberries and roses. Fine and silky on the palate with refreshing acid. Tart berries matched with underbrush, soil and herbs. Needs time, but a very pretty wine. In my book, Charvin can do no wrong, and the Le Poutet is always one of the best Rhone values out there. Gonna cellar some of this for a while. (90 points)

2012 Domaine de Ferrand Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Antique Vieilles Vignes - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône ($23)
Floral nose, baking spices and pepper on top of the cool berry fruit. Well-structured and a bit tight perhaps, but lots going on. Berry compote mixes with dusty earth, pepper, violets and a hint of olive. 90% Grenache with some Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. (88 points)

2012 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Côtes du Rhône Les Claux - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône ($22)
Deep and dark on the nose, lots of leather and smoke as well. Dark berries on the palate, a concentrated wine but still bright, with notes of smoke, anise, grilled meat and pepper. Long and complex, an easy candidate for five+ years in the cellar. 60% Grenache and 20% each of Syrah and Mourvedre. (90 points)

2012 Domaine Saint-Damien Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône ($19)
Tart currants on the nose, topped with pickle, pepper and flowers. Full yet silky, rich blackberry compote and tart cranberries blended with pepper and dusty soil with a solid finish. Very approachable now. (87 points)

2012 Domaine Daniel et Denis Alary Côtes du Rhône La Gerbaude - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône ($17)
A spicy, leather-driven nose with dark berries underneath. Juicy and fleshy, one of the most approachable and open of the tasting but it’s not simple. Complex notes of chestnut, red licorice and leather accent the juicy black cherry and currant fruit. (87 points)

2012 Domaine les Grands Bois Côtes du Rhône Villages Cuvée Philippine - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages ($17)
Deep and quite extracted on the nose (more blueberry and dark plums), along with lots of anise. Silky and velvety on the palate, this is a deliciously forward wine capable of pleasing many new world palates, yet it’s got solid structure and plenty of classic lavender and pepper accents. Very pretty. (90 points)

2012 Domaine les Grands Bois Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Cuvée Maximilien - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne ($20)
Juicy blackberries, smoke and earth on the nose. Another forward and silky approach from this producer, but this wine shows firm structure and cellar-potential. Black cherry cola, roses, violets and dark loam accent the blueberry and black currant fruit. Needs a bit of time I think, but a beauty. (91 points)

Domaine Alary produces consistently delicious wines at reasonable prices. 

2012 Domaine Daniel et Denis Alary Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Vieilles Vignes - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne ($22)
Love the nose here, rocky and smoky with cracked pepper on top of the blackberry fruit. A full wine with great power, yet it’s clean and yummy at the same time. Love the soil, granite, rocks and sweet herbs with the juicy, silky mixed berry fruit. Three-to-four years would help it settle down and gain even more complexity. (90 points)

2012 Domaine Daniel et Denis Alary Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne La Brunote - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne ($25)
Tart red berries on the nose, along with crushed rocks and pickling spice. Clean and bright on the palate despite the richness and tannins. Full and complex with lots of herbal and earthy notes. Grenache, Mourvedre and Carignan. Needs time. (90 points)

2012 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône ($15)
Light and bright on the nose with strawberries and red currants. Tart and juicy, a lighter, more strawberry-driven approach but some nice grip too, along with pepper and anise notes. (86 points)

2012 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu Cuvée des Galets - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu ($20)
Lots of roses, pepper, earth and herbs on top of currant and strawberry aromas. Deep on the palate though, with firm structure and refreshing tartness, combines for a cream mouthfeel. Complex herbal and spice notes, another one to cellar for two to four years. (90 points)

2011 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône Villages Vieilles Vignes - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages ($30)
Lighter and fresher than the 2012 but still plenty of fruit and earth. Clean and smooth on the palate, a lovely purity to the strawberry and blackberry fruit. Minerals, graphite, herbs, soil, lots going on here and it’s singing right now. (90 points)

2012 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône Villages Vieilles Vignes - Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages ($30)
Darker berries on the nose, along with violets, earth and charcoal. Fully and creamy but solid tannic backbone. Sweet berry fruit is matched with tons of granite and minerals, also notes of sweet cola and baking spice. Easy to bury this for five years without thinking, but a very impressive showing right now. (91 points)